Charles Begg pianos

[vernon]

Bill
There is a correspondent from NZ in the local Aberdeen paper writing a book about the above pianos.
Apparently he was a "piano maker and tuner in Aberdeen" till he went to NZ in 1861 and the firm continued till 1970.
She is his g-g-granddaughter
Nobody's heard of him up here in the Aberdeen Riviera. Any ideas?

vernon

[Bill Kibby]

I have heard from the lady. He certainly existed Vernon, check out the 1860 Aberdeen directory. He was established in 1849, emigrated in 1861, and is one of the claims to the first piano in New Zealand, but a bit late! He wasn't around Aberdeen long enough to be famous.

[ChristopherT]

I think the claim is to have made the first piano in New Zealand (1864).

[Bill Kibby]

A William Rolfe square piano thought to have been made around 1820 is a much earlier claim to be the first piano in New Zealand,

[ChristopherT]

Oops, I did not phrase that too well. Charles Begg has the claim to have made the first piano in New Zealand in Dunedin in 1864.

[Bill Kibby]

I think the difference is that Begg made the piano in NZ, Rolfe"s was the first to arrive in NZ.